CJ Stroud was moved to tears after being made the second overall pick in Thursday's 2023 NFL Draft by the Houston Texans.
The Texans stole the show in Kansas City by getting their new quarterback in Stroud before trading up from 12 to number three to take edge rusher Will Anderson Jr, and Ohio State standout Stroud could not contain his emotions after getting the phone call from head coach DeMeco Ryans and general manager Nick Caserio.
The 21-year-old broke down in tears of joy after receiving the life-changing news in the green room before sharing the moment with his loved ones and heading onto the stage and embracing league commissioner Roger Goodell.
"First and foremost, I have to always give my lord and saviour all the credit. Jesus Christ, without him I wouldn't be here, that's the reason I'm here," a choked-up Stroud said on stage, adding: "It's been a lot of hard work."
"I bring me. I bring a man of god, I bring a leader. I bring somebody who's going to go to work every day and work their tail off. Someone who comes from a winning tradition, someone who wants to win, that's all I care about. I'm going to be the best teammate and best leader I can be."
Bryce Young was the first overall pick of the draft, with the Alabama quarterback taken by the Carolina Panthers. Florida QB Anthony Richardson was selected fourth overall by the Indianapolis Colts, and he too shed a few tears before composing himself and making his way onto the stage.
The Seattle Seahawks took cornerback Devon Witherspoon with the fifth selection. After the unsurprising selection of Young by the Panthers, it was a dramatic start to the night with many mock draft busted by the Texans' pick of Stroud and their blockbuster trade with the Arizona Cardinals that followed.
The discourse heading into the draft was the Texans were looking to go defence with the first of their two first-round picks, but instead, they grabbed their franchise quarterback at two and leapt up from 12 to three to snap up Anderson Jr.
The Texans gave up picks 12 and 33, plus 2024 first and third-round picks, getting a 2023 fourth-rounder as well as the third overall pick in return.
